(1) All claims based on or to abate nuisance may be brought in the circuit court. The circuit court may grant injunctions to stay and prevent nuisance.
  (2) When the plaintiff prevails on a claim based on a private nuisance, he may have judgment for damages and may have judgment that the nuisance be abated and removed unless the judge finds that the abatement of the nuisance is unnecessary.

Terms Used In Michigan Laws 600.2940

  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • judgment: as used in this act , includes decree. See Michigan Laws 600.112
  • Plaintiff: The person who files the complaint in a civil lawsuit.
  (3) If the judgment is that the nuisance shall be abated, the court may issue a warrant to the proper officer, requiring him to abate and remove the nuisance at the expense of the defendant, in the manner that public nuisances are abated and removed. The court may stay the warrant for as long as 6 months to give the defendant an opportunity to remove the nuisance, upon the defendant giving satisfactory security to do so.
  (4) The expense of abating and removing the nuisance pursuant to such warrant, shall be collected by the officer in the same manner as damages and costs are collected upon execution, excepting that the materials of any buildings, fences, or other things that may be removed as a nuisance, may be sold by the officer, in like manner as goods are sold on execution for the payment of debts. The officer may apply the proceeds of such sale to defray the expenses of the removal, and shall pay over the balance thereof, if any, to the defendant upon demand. If the proceeds of the sale are not sufficient to defray the said expenses, he shall collect the residue thereof as before provided.
  (5) Actions under this section are equitable in nature unless only money damages are claimed.